Murderer of journalist Juan Andújar sentenced to 30 years in prison, fined for wounding another journalist; his fellow conspirator given five-year sentence

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(RSF/IFEX) - Edri Vladimir "Vla" Pujols, a member of a gang known as "Los Zayayines", was sentenced on 2 May 2007 to 30 years in prison for the 2004 murder of Juan Andújar, a correspondent of the daily "Listín Diario". He was also ordered to pay the equivalent of 30,000 euros in compensation to another journalist, Jorge Luis Sención, who had to have an arm amputated after being attacked by Pujols because he had witnessed the murder of Andújar.

Fellow gang-member Juan Ricardo Muños Herrera was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 7,000 euros for conspiracy. The court said it could not try a third member of the gang, Maikel Bienvenido Agramonte, because he was a minor at the time. His case will be transferred to a court for minors.

Pujols and other members of Los Zayayines were previously arrested several times in 2001 and 2002 in connection with other crimes, but until now they have always been released by the courts.

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